Sinhala folk Poetry in Sri Lanka
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Introduction
Most of the Sinhala folk Poetry have been originated with peasant agriculture in Sri Lanka. During the king’s era, major occupations were based on subsistence agriculture. As a result of it, performance of arts such as singing, dancing and dramas have been flourished under the agricultural environment, especiallyin rice cultivation.
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Since the majority of Sri Lankan population is Buddhist, religious doctrines have also been associated with these events. Several years ago, there was a well-developed social culture in rural areas. At present, right of the citizen of this country is to secure valuable cultural activities for future generations. Main purpose of this article is to point out valuable activities those have been developed around the Sri Lankan rural agriculture.
Rice cultivation has been predominant farming among the Sri Lankan people living in Rural areas. most the rituals in Agriculture have been nourished with Buddhism and during the hundreds of years. Writers have made valuable publications based on these subjects. This page will discover some of the folk Poetries with available details in Sri Lanka.
Folk Poetry has been formed under several stages of the Sri Lankan rice cultivation. Preparing the rice field for planting is aninitial as well as major activity under the rice cultivation. Famers till the field by using buffaloes. This is called “Binnaguma” or “BinnagumaHanawa”. This is the first plough. The second plough is under taken after several days. It is called “Dehiya” or “DevanaHeeya”.
“Porugama” or levelling the paddy field is the next activity at rice cultivation. Ancient farmers were searching an auspicious time to commence the event.After completion of field preparation, sowing the rice seeds will be undertaken. To sow the field, more farmers follow auspicious time. Astrologers make auspicious time according to the location of planets and their behavior in the sky. Farmers believe that use of auspicious time bring happiness and success harvest. Also, they believe that damages to plants by insects or animals will be minimum.
Before sowing of rice seeds, seeds are needed to make germination. Village farmers in Sri Lankaknow the method to germinate them carefully. They take the required seed and put into water and remove the light seeds that are floating on the water surface. Then, they take out sinking seeds because those are fully viable to sprout. Then, they carefully dump on the sack cloth or banana leaf that is laid on the cow done floor and fully covered with the same. After several days, they uncovered and take out root sprung seeds. Farmers sow them in prepared paddy fields. That event called “Wapuranava” in Sinhala.
Sowing the seeds can be done in two ways. One way is to sow all the fields onetime. Other way is to sow in a nursery initially and next, when plants are 5 or 6 inches high, they are to pullout and replant in other fields. However, more farmers replant them in rows while others in random way.These replanting methods are differed from session to session and /or place to place. Most of the time, women gather in paddy field. They are staying in a line across the nursery and pull up the plants carefully. Then, they cut off two or three inches of top of the plant leaf and replant. This is called in Sinhala “Nelanava” or “Goyamsituvanava”. At this occasion, they are singing in rhythm to avoid tiresome. one of women flock says one line of poetry loudly then others follow. These songs are called “Nelum Kavi”. Most of the “Nelumkavi” is based on religion, environment or rituals in Sri Lanka.
Now, planting the field is completed. It will not finish their duty in paddy cultivation. They need to look after cultivation until the harvesting. Therefore, protecting the cultivation will be a major next task for the farmers. Specially, they must protest the cultivation from animals such as elephants, pigs, and some birds.Elephant’s attack has been become a major problem in Sri Lanka. Their devastation is huge. Therefore, farmers ask government to assist to get rid of elephants from cultivation. Farmers are staying in a hut built on the top of a tree to secure from elephants. They use fire crackers or set fire to dump of firewood to protect from animals. However, damage by elephants to paddy cultivations in Sri Lanka is becoming huge problem.
The rice cultivators as well as chena cultivators sing songs in security huts though out the night to avoid sleepiness. Such songs are known as “Palkavi”. If a farmer starts to sing “Palkavi” loudly from one hut, the others in nearest hut answers by another “Palkaviya” loudly. Likewise, others follow in the same way.
When the rice plant grows gradually, it blooms the flowers. It is called as “Piidenawa” in Sinhala. Matured rice grain bunches bend to ground and become brown. Rice farmers who are gathered into paddy field cut the plants with crooked knife (that is called as “Daakaththa”) carefully because matures grains can be dropped and wasted. All the rice farmers in the area accept the invitation and goes to harvest field with a crooked knife. They stand in the field in a line and cut the rice while singing. In some areas in Sri Lanka, women participate in this work. The songs sung by farmers together at this occasion are called “Goyamkavi”.
After cutting the rice plants with bunch of grains, they tie up the rice trees as bundles and carry them to the place that is called as “Kamatha” and known as “kalawita” among the rice farmers. Bundles of rice trees are called “Kolamiti”. Kamathais a small area dedicated to threshing the rice. This threshing floor surrounded by rice fields. There is a hut near Kamatha. A Kamatha is shared by several farmers in the same area. When a farmer is using the kamatha, others have to wait until to come their chance. It serves first come first service basis. Accordingly, one or two farmer’s harvest can be seen in the corner of the kamathain a queue. More farmers gather to the kamathafor the threshing, most probably at the night time.
There are several rules and regulations at the using of Kamatha. At the threshing of the harvest at kamatha, farmers use their own distinct words. that is called as “Kamath basa” or “Kamath language. Farmers use several specialized instruments at the kamatha for threshing. Activities at the Kamatha are continued in a respectable manner. First of all, farmers clean the kamatha by using a brushmade of small branches of bushes. It called as “Bolaththa” or “Katubolaththa”. Most of the time, farmers use “Bovitiya” plants to make it. It is heard that at the ancient time, women are prohibited to work in the kamatha. All activities related to kamatha including cleaning, threshing and processing the rice were done by the males in several areas in Sri Lanka.
The threshing, “kolamadeema” or “kola Pageema”in Sinhala, is a method to separate rice seeds from the tree. For this task, the farmers fix a strong pole in the middle of the Kamatha. Farmers search for strong logs such as Mahua (Mee in Sinhala), or Arjun tree (Kumbuk) to use as a pole . If it is a large event, farmers tie up to five or six cows to the post in a row. The number of cows vary according to bulk of paddy trees. However, at present, farmers rarely use this old method. Use of tractors is common in most areas now. Old farmers in Sri Lanka often gathers at the Kamatha for threshing at night. They used one or two Petrol Match Lamps for lighting. One of the gathered farmers drive the buffaloes tied to veegaha while singing songs in Sinhala. He uses the Kavita to reign the cows accordingly. This was a very happy night event for farmers at about two decades agoin Sri Lanka. The lad who chases the cows in the Kamatha at the threshing, sings songs loudly. In mountainous area paddy fields, the sounds surround. It echoes to several villages. This sound informs villagers of the threshing event nearby. The lad who chase the cows at the threshing is called as “Gongahanawa”. The boy has his own stick to chase the cows. It is known the kevita. One lad can exchange his duty with another. The lad’s responsibilities include driving the cows and catch the cow dung if needsare arisen.
During middle of the event, farmers stop the cows rounding and shuffle the straw with “Ukunudattha”. They give an interval for the cows and helper. At that time, Dinner is brought to the farmers.The dinner is called as “Muththettu”. This is the time that the hungry farmers are awaiting food.After having dinner, farmers continue threshing until all the grains are etractfrom the plants. By using the hook pole that is called ukunudatta, farmers dump straw in a corner of threshing field or kamatha. Meanwhile, grains are dumped separately on one site of the kamatha. After finishing the threshing other friend farmers who came to help the owner, go home. The owner stays at a hut in kamatha whole the night to secure the harvest.
Next day, the owner of the farm obtain assistance from other farmers to clean extracted grains by using winnowing fans. For this activity, owner obtains assistance from others with a practical experience on this work. Then, the farmers collect pure seeds and take it home happily.
During all the procedures taking place in the paddy filed, innocent farmers sing songs in their native language. This is how the Sinhala folk Poetry originated with farming in Sri Lanka.
Apart from folk Poetry that are commonly used in the agricultural community in Sri Lanka, other rural communities also had their own songs that were sung while doing their works in ancient time.
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